The history of the Irish Examiner begins in 1841 when John Francis Maguire, the son of a local business man decided the ordinary people needed a mouthpiece – a paper to counteract the likes of the Cork Constitution, which served only landed interests and the southern Unionists.

John Francis Maguire was a man of strong beliefs and strong feelings about what made good journalists and worthwhile newspapers. He informed the House of Commons – he represented Dungarvan and Cork at Westminster in 1852 and 1865 respectively – that he was not a journalist who stabbed in the dark or slandered a foe under the cloak of anonymous writings. In fact, he would rather die than degrade the honour of his chosen profession. Newspapers should serve and educational function, he believed. They should perform a public service and expose abuses.

And so on August 30 th 1841 , in the words of his own editorial, he 'boldly launched upon the waves The Cork Examiner’. He said that his new journal would stand or fall ‘mainly upon the honesty with which its columns are devoted, not to private and personal ends, but to the welfare and interests of the whole community’.

In the beginning, The Irish Examiner was an evening paper and it came out three times a week and it cost four old pence. Its pay roll was £21. Thomas Crosbie, whose family was to own and run The Irish Examiner for 129 of its 160 years, joined the newspaper just one year after it was founded. He was only fifteen and he had finished his formal schooling two years earlier.

When John F Maguire died in 1872, Thomas Crosbie – having long edited the paper, became owner of the business. During his time at the paper, it was changed from a three day evening to a six day morning in 1858. He introduced the Evening Echo in 1892 and the Weekly Examiner in 1896. It was during his time that high speed telegraph machines were installed and an office was opened in London , linked by wire with Examiner headquarters at 95 Patrick Street . The enlisting of special correspondents Philip Gibbs and Ash Mead Bartlett during World War 1 also raised the status of the paper. With the foundation of the Irish Free State , Dublin became the seat of government and the Examiner opened an office there. The Irish Examiner had to be steered through its share of difficulties.

Thomas Crosbie died in 1899, leaving his son George to carry on the tradition. Since then the newspaper company has been owned and controlled by the Crosbie family. Several members of the family serve on the present Board of Directors.

Throughout the long years since, The Irish Examiner has always endeavoured to live up to the high ideals set out by Maguire and to serve the best interests of the community ‘without fear or favour’. In 1976, The Irish Examiner became the first newspaper in the Republic to introduce web offset printing. Gone were the chunky, but noisy linotype machines. For the first time colour pictures and advertising became a regular and popular feature, giving a competitive edge. While other newspapers were restricted by having to pre print advertising days in advance, and then printing news in the other space, The Irish Examiner was able to feature up to the minute pictures as when the Pope visited Ireland in 1979.

In March 1996, The Cork Examiner changed to The Examiner, a decision that had been thought about for 30 years, to reflect the decision by Examiner Publications to expand coverage and broaden circulation of the newspaper. In April 2000, The Examiner became the Irish Examiner and today the newspaper is highly respected as a nationally orientated paper with a blend of international, national, regional and local news. The Irish Examiner has survived 160 years by learning to adapt. The arrival of media such as national and local radio, national TV, multi channel, satellite and now digital TV, growing competition from indigenous and English papers have all been met successfully.